Cancer Software Improves Patient Safety & Treatment Accuracy

Last fall, the Samaritan Cancer Program in Corvallis furthered its treatment advancements with the addition of the software system IDENTIFY. This is a motion management tool that helps improve patient safety, broaden treatment delivery options and enhance the accuracy of radiation therapy.

“IDENTIFY performs what is known as surface-guided radiotherapy, using cameras to track a patient’s skin surface with submillimeter accuracy in real time during treatment,” said Thomas Iverson, medical physicist in the Radiation Oncology department. “The system also provides other accuracies, such as verifying the patient, positioning their body on the treatment table correctly and aligning with the patient’s radiation therapy treatment plan.”

So, how does the software system distinguish from one patient to the next?

“It all starts with the palm of a patient’s hand,” said Iverson. “Upon check-in, the patient’s palm is scanned using the IDENTIFY system, which then launches the software used in the radiation treatment room.”

While most major cancer centers offer some form of surface tracking, the Samaritan Cancer Program is one of only a handful of locations in the U.S. to have incorporated this advanced software.

In addition to IDENTIFY, last spring, the Samaritan Cancer Program acquired a new linear accelerator called Varian Truebeam Edge, the first of its kind in Oregon.

To learn more about cancer services offered at Samaritan, visit samhealth.org/Cancer.

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